The way of warriors
by Haytang
Summary: The ex-pilots died, only to find themselves in a new world, with new possibilities, and real Shinigami... story hopefully better than summary, beware of shounen ai in later chapters, pairings under progress. Please R&R!
1. Teaser

Disclaimer: Not mine. T_T Gundam Wing and Bleach both belong to their respective right holders (or whatever), and that's not me. I'm just playing around, and I'm not paid for it. Pity.

Warnings: Weeeeeell… I dunno just yet, ask later.

Now, READ!

_**The way of warriors**_

_Chapter 0 – Teaser_

We died. We lived. We died.

We were alive. We fought. Survived. Through 'childhood', training, war, peace and war again, and then we joined the organization to continue fighting in the holy name of Peace. And we were sent to fight once again. And again. And again. And we fought. We won. The world exploded. A bomb. Doesn't matter.

We were seventeen. We died.

And now, in a new world, we live again.

Review please!


	2. Arrival

Now this was fast, ne? I am surprised myself, took me less time to type in then anticipated. Perhaps I am getting better at typing…

Thank you, everyone, who took the time to review! Cookies for all! And there are your answers:

xBannanaRoxx: Thanx, there's a chapter for you :D

Cynthia Joy Finnegan: Well, yeah, I didn't specialize who told the teaser, now did I? Honestly, I dunno. Anyway, I did continue Hope you'll enjoy it

ani: Yep, Duo is… well, you will see XD Thank you!

lilbit1016: Thanks, I do intend to keep this show going and my muse dearest is pretty much hooked on Bleach/Gundam Wing crossovers at the moment, she has another one planed. If only I knew when I am supposed to do it -_-'

The way of warriors

Chapter 1: Arrival

The first of the five woke. Instantly on alert and careful as ever, he remained completely still, relying on his sense of smell, hearing, feeling and his gut instincts to determine his surroundings. Sensing no possible sources of danger (meaning: no life but plants), he opened his eyes. Cold deep-blue eyes surveyed the clearing where their owner came to himself, the owner trying to recall his last memories.

The mission. He was caught up in crossfire, but came out of it uninjured. His team subdued the 'rebels', some organization called 'Golden Moon' (idiotic name). He shot the leader of the organization himself. In the head, twice. Just for good measure.

They, the Preventers, won. Everyone was cheering happily until Trowa shouted. Trowa didn't shout. Ever. Why… ?

The bomb! There was a bomb they didn't notice in time. Not big, barely enough to kill in the radius from, say, ten meters. And as it exploded…

…

He died?

The blue eyed (not-quite-just-a) boy looked down at himself. He was wearing a simple bluish-black kimono, with wooden sandals.

… definitely dead. Either him, or Duo, should this turn out to be another one of the baka's 'practical jokes'.

He slowly stood, not quite sure how his… death… affected his body's functions. Nothing seemed to be out of order thus far, but that did not mean nothing _was_.

The wind changed, and his over-sensitive nose caught the faint scent of smoke. It came from precisely 11 hours. So he turned and made his way towards the source of the scent. Because smoke meant fire, and since the weather was definitely not one for spontaneous fires, fire meant human presence.

Said humans would shortly be interrogated for information.

The late Heero Yuy began his new, self-inflicted mission. Poor 'humans' didn't stand a chance.

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The second of the five woke and sat up, drawing his sword… his sword was absent.

He would kill Maxwell for real this time.

He changed his movement ever-so-slightly, grabbing one of the men surrounding him, taking his dagger and pressing it to it's former owner's neck, taking the man hostage.

Took him a grand totale of 1.003 seconds, too.

"Who are you and what do you want of me?"

The men froze and he could feel the slight trembling of his hostage. Said hostage then began to struggle, the brainless idiot. He grunted and pressed the blade a bit more firmly to the skin on the man's neck just above the pulse, nearly drawing blood. _That_ made the idiot cease his pointless struggling. Good.

But then he began to speak.

"Oy, oy, kiddo! We dun' mean no harm, jus' tryin' tha help ya, I mean, ya look like ya jus' got 'ere from tha Livin' World…"

…

Wufei looked down. The man didn't stink of alcohol, nor did he show any sights of being under the influence of some sort of drug. So he couldn't possibly be drunk or high. Damn.

Just his luck to meet with a madman and his happy little mad companions, all dressed in stupid kimonos…

KIMONOS? Last time he checked he was on L3…

His last memories came to him. Infiltration, fighting, victory, warning, explosion…

'…_look like ya jus' got 'ere from tha Livin' World.'_ Just arrived there from the world of the living.

He was dead. Like Meiran, like his parents, like his clan, like Treize Kushrenada, the man he killed, like all soldiers, all civilians, men and women and children he ever killed…

He was too far gone to notice his tensing, or be aware of the yelp his hostage gave as the blade he held finally drew blood. The others gathered around them shushed the man, indicating him to hold still, as 'the kid jus' noticed he died'. He didn't notice how the men tried and failed to free their comrade from his grip.

At long last, he came out of his stupor. His hands fell to his sides and the dagger slipped from his fingers, falling to the ground. He felt numb. He looked at the man he held hostage and felt nothing but numbness. He seriously couldn't bring himself to care about what would happen to him now.

His ex-hostage sighed, taking in the boy's appearance. He looked young, as young as his years would have suggested, if not younger, and he looked utterly lost. The man touched the wound and the drying blood on his neck, remembering just how fierce the youngster could be. Then he just shrugged.

"The hell."

And just like that, Chang Wufei was taken under the protecting wings of Daiji Hisarago, the Bull of Kisajishi.

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The third of the five was utterly confused. Last thing he remembered he was on the top floor of Golden Moon's headquarters, and the bomb…

Oh, Allah. The bomb. The explosion. He couldn't have possibly survived that.

He was dead. Oh no. Nononononononono. No.

He had so much to do still. the peace was yet to become satisfactory stabilized, WEI had to be run (well, one of his brother-in-laws could take over that one, he supposed, but, still…), The Preventors needed him, his nephews and nieces needed him, his 28 sisters needed him, the 40 Magwanacs needed him, Allah, Rashid would blame himself, well, everyone would do that to themselves, and he still didn't finish the plans for Heero's surprise-party!

… oh Allah. Heero was with him on the mission. As were Duo, Trowa, Wufei and nine other agents. And if he had died, so did they!

Oh, Allah!

Quatre heard a chocked sob, and realized it came from him. He was a man, an ex-Gundam pilot, an ex-terrorist, he was not supposed to cry over things such as death, he was not supposed to cry in general, at all!

But it HURT so much, to know his partners, his brothers-in-arms died, and that he let down all those alive…

If his brothers were dead, why were they not there with him?

The blonde boy blinked away his tears sheepishly, expanding his Space Heart in search for the familiar souls of the other four. He found them with years of practiced ease, and smiled sadly. Two of his brothers were in mission-mode, one was almost completely numb and frozen, and one was overly excited. Awe mixed with disbelief washed over him and he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. Thrust Duo to find anything even remotely interesting anywhere in less than ten minutes.

Quatre got up and began to follow the numb feeling that was surrounded with caring and worried, if a little roughish souls. That one brother needed him, and he would not let him down, unlike his living family.

But then again, were the dead nut supposed to be watching over the living? Perhaps he still had a chance for forgiveness…

#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#

The fourth of the five watched his fellow ex-pilot interrogate the gang of thieves for information about 'Soul Society'. He knew Yuy… _Heero_ noticed him, and didn't mind. So the Perfect Soldier (and Biggest In-Closet Mother Hen) still thought of them as allies… ugh, family.

He'd never get used to this, no thanks to his 'upbringing', or the lack of it. Anyway. He was delighted by Y… _HEERO's _trust in him. He was worried for a moment that they would go to Stage 1. Now that would have been pretty bad.

He knew he was dead the moment he came to himself. He was at the same place he saw after Quatre went Zero and he ended up on the receiving end of an attack. He knew the others couldn't have survived either… well, he wasn't so sure about Heero (got it right at last), but guessed even 01 must have been blown to pieces, like any other human being.

Which meant, they were in a new, completely different situation, possibly with different priorities and replaced loyalties. He hoped they would continue being 'brothers', as the emotional-social duo put it. Apparently, they would.

He was pulled out of his musings and back to reality(?) as the gang's leader mentioned the 'Gotei 13 of Seireitei'.

There were real SHINIGAMI and an ACADEMY for them, as well as this 'Gotei 13'. Duo was so going to… 'flip out'.

His eyes met the Prussian-blue ones of his brother, and he saw his own mental groaning being reflected there, along with the question whether they should or should not go to this 'Academy'.

He nodded. It might not be much, but they should at least retrieve the death-obsessed braided baka. And now really, vas there even the slightest of chances he would _not_ check out this 'Shinigami Academy'?

NO.

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As for their fifth, well...

He was currently imitating a hyperactive pup with one way too big bone in front of two shell-shocked Shinigami, who were seriously beginning to doubt in his sanity.

"…and there's even an Academy, oh ma gosh I'm gonna flip and this is jus' INCREDIBLE and, guys – how can _I_ get into this Academy? I _can_ get in there, right? Right? Right? Ri…"

"SHUT IT ALREADY!" the male god of death seemed to finally break down.

"Renji!" The woman seemed to be embarrassed by her companion's outburst, even though she was obviously thankful for the cease of the boy's monologue. "He just died, be more sensible, jerk! As for you, boy…"

"Duo."

She blinked, and the redhead shut the mouth he just opened, probably to defend his sensibility. They both blinked at the pleasantly smiling boy.

"Huh?"

"My name. It's Duo, Duo Maxwell. I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie. That's me in a nutshell."

"Oh." the woman returned the smile with a friendly one of her own. "My name is Kuckiki Ru…"

"What kind of name is 'Duo'?"

The man was promptly punched by the (now annoyed) brunette, and flew into a nearby tree. Duo made a mental note not to piss the lady off. Ever.

"_As I was just trying to say_, my name is Kuchiki Rukia, Maxwell-san. Nice to meet you." she bowed slightly, which the braided boy returned and followed up by taking the female Shinigami's hand and lightly kissing it.

The returning Renji made a chocking sound and was sent flying yet again.

"Please call me 'Duo', Lady. 'Maxwell-san' always makes me feel like I should go search for a responsible adult going by that name." the longhaired boy smiled one of his nicer happy-go-lucky smiles at the petite woman. "Would you please tell me how I might apply to this Academy for Shinigamis, Kuchiki-san?"

"Ah, call me 'Rukia', please. As for the Academy, you must have at least a certain amount of reiki, Duo-san. I am unsure if you have it… I… Actually, I feel none from you." she was starring Duo's chest, which made the teenager feel naked, despite the simple, blood-red kimono with the black obi he knew he was wearing. "It's almost as if you were suppressing it, but that can't be right, you just di… er, you just arrived there to Soul Society…"

"Rukia? What's up with you?" Renji came back once again, this time with a worried expression.

"He…" Rukia trailed off, deep in thoughts. A few minutes passed with her starring off into space, and the two males starring at her.

Suddenly, her head shot up, and she grabbed Duo's wrist, beginning to drag the boy off very quickly and determinedly in a random direction.

"Rukia?"

"Rukia-san?"

"We are bringing him to the Academy, Renji! Get your behind in gear!"

The redhead's disbelieving 'WHAT!' was lost in the joyous whooping of the braided ex-terrorist and Shinigami-to-be.

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"_SHINIGAMI_ ACADEMY?"

The men cringed at the shout of the black-haired Chinese. His blonde 'brother' looked thoughtful and somewhat resigned.

The man sitting across the fire sighed.

"Yea, that's what I said. What's it to ya?"

Wufei was, however, too caught up in his rant (which he kept at the voice-level of mumbling, thankfully) to answer. The blonde one sighed and shook his head at his companion's antics, before turning back to the older man.

"Would you please tell us about this 'Shinigami Academy', Uncle? Please?"

Said 'Uncle' felt every and all possible resistance disappear as big, soulful aqua eyes blinked at him hopefully. The two boys listened closely (Wufei only after he was finished with his latest ranting session, obviously), occasionally asking the man for further explanations.

Finally, after nearly two hours of interrogation (in Quatre-style – the man didn't even suspect he was being interrogated), Wufei stood, determination written all over him.

"Bring us there."

"WHA'?"

Sensing the rise of yet another (absolutely pointless) argument, Quatre decided to interfere. He pushed Wufei none too gently to the side and smiled up at the man pleasantly.

"Please Uncle, please bring us there! One of our brothers might be at that place!"

Wufei mutely watched the man melting into one cooperative puddle of goo under the rays of the Baby-Blue Puppy-Eyes of Doom.

Well, there it is! Let me know what you think, okay? Reviews are my bread and butter! (I just learned the expression and am proud of myself, OK?)


	3. Prepare to study

Author's Notes:

You know, I came to a realization while typing this in. Wait, make that three. First, I'm way too slow at typing. Second, I hate typing, absolutely and utterly HATE it. And third, I forgot to say where to put it on the timelines. Well, it's post EW, but still before Aizen up and died. Waaaay before. Not even Orihime's been kidnapped yet. Just thought you might wanna know.

Thanks and big sloppy kisses for everyone who took the time to review! As for your answers:

ani: I aim to please, please keep up with boosting my ego XD And keep reading, it's a sure way to get your questions answered ;)

lilbit1016: Thanks, and I think there won't be a problem with those two, unless … OK, I'll think about that one some more. But I think Duo or even Wufei might be a bigger problem, not promising anything, but those personalities … damn, you got my brain working. Wow.

Kitsune1818: Um, thank you, I think I do need to work on some of the things you pointed out, so yeah, thanks :D I'm a novice so constructive critics and advice are welcome. As for the teaser, no, that one doesn't have a thing to do with the plot (there IS one, though!), I just quickly killed the pilots. … that didn't come out right …

Kitsune Foxfire: Thanks *beams* I was (am) a tad worried about being OOC, but apparently it works :D

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><p><em><strong>The Way of Warriors<strong>_  
><em><span>Chapter 2<span>__- Prepare to … study_  
>by Haytang<p>

"Holy crap, but this place is HUGE!"

Several Shinigami turned their head towards the source of the excited shout (some jumped back with a start first, though), only to find the fukotaicho of Squad 6 glaring at a … boy? with long, chestnut braid being dragged around by a very determined-looking Kuchiki Rukia, adopted sister of the infamous Captain Kuchiki of the aforementioned Squad 6. Nothing too out of place.

After a bit of seizing-up, the bystanders decided the braided one was definitely a male, an over-excited, hyper, and almost obscenely LOUD one.

Now if only someone would tell them what the Hell was going on this time.

"Kuchiki-san? Abarai-fukotaicho?" a strict looking woman with her long, pinkish-silver hair in a high pony-tail and her oval glasses flashing strode towards the trio, seemingly half annoyed and half worried. "May I _ask_ just what exactly this ruckus is about? "

The little brunette smiled up at her pleasantly, not bothering to pause in her task of dragging the hyperactive teenager after her petite self. "Of course, um, sorry but who are you again?"

The elder woman came to an abrupt halt but gathered herself quick enough to catch up to the other female Shinigami. "I am Haruki Eimi, secretary of this Academy's Headmaster, Kuchiki-san." She gave the other a pointed glare, at which she received a sheepish little smile. "Now. If you would please answer my question."

"Ah …" Rukia suddenly stopped in her strode, almost causing her companions to run her over. "I would ask of you to have Duo Maxwell-san there enrolled into the Academy, please!"

The secretary eyed said boy dubiously, her gaze pausing on the cheeky, happy-go-lucky grin and the unconventional hairstyle. She didn't know and wouldn't try to guess what might have happened for the boy to draw the attention of Miss Kuchiki to himself, and she wouldn't ask, either, but … it certainly was not his potential. Well, not his _Shinigami_ potential at least.

She shook her head negative, making the brat go from one extreme to the other and make an alarmingly realistic imitation of a half-drowned, starved, homeless little puppy. Some onlookers almost fell over in their surprise. Renji did.

"I am truly sorry, young man …" And she was. The sight of a heartbroken Duo Maxwell could do that to people. "but you do not meet the expectations of the Academy in regards of reiki, and if we allowed you to become a student, it could and would cause your death. I'm … truly sorry." And now she was making excuses. That look was dangerous.

"But …"

"No, Kuchiki-san." At least that … altered state of mind only applied to that brat. "I can not allow …"

"But I can't sense _ANY_ reiki coming from him, as if he didn't even exist! He _must_ be suppressing it! I know you can, well, _can't_ sense it as well!"

The elder woman paused, hesitating, then made the huge mistake of looking into the wide, soulful, begging, hope-filled violet eyes of one Duo Maxwell. She broke.

"So be it. I shall do the required tests."

The braided boy whooped and cheered and generally was being noisy, much to the amusement of the surrounding Shinigami, bar the annoyed redheaded fukotaicho of the 6th Squad.

"Could you just shut …"

"MAXWELL!"

The boy whirled around and made a dash towards the source of the rather threatening-sounding shout, accompanied by a squeal that sounded suspiciously like 'Wuffers!'. It made most bystanders wonder at him as their reaction was to go for their respective swords.

Yet there that brat was, up and running towards the furious looking guy with long, black hair and cutting ebony eyes without a second though … or a first one. The boy seemed to be around the same age as Duo was (But who knows in Soul Society?) and, surprisingly enough, wore a blue kimono with golden sakura-petal pattern and black obi, even though he was obviously of Chinese origins. Even more surprising was how well it suited him, though they would probably be tortured to death if they dared to mention that fact.

Hence the unspoken agreement of Duo Maxwell obviously lacking any and all instincts of self-preservation as they witnessed the brat pulling the dark youth into a tight embrace while chatting up a storm, mostly teasing 'Wuffers' about his appearance.

An outburst of reiki and golden-red flames, lots of shocked Shinigami and the emergence of one pissed looking blonde demon later (the flames and reiki disappeared upon sighting the blonde), a sheepishly grinning Duo Maxwell introduced the two newcomers as his brothers to Rukia, Renji and 'Haruki-san', who were respectively staring at the blonde, pretending not to care or being in the process of seizing up the growingly uncomfortable Chinese youth. As the minutes tickled by, Quatre managed to lure the slowly unwinding Rukia into conservation, trying to gather as much information as possible while also soothing her suspicions of the trio, mostly himself. Needless to say it had the opposing effect on Renji as his childhood friend begun to relax and smile at the angelic looking blonde.

In the end, it was the Dragon who just couldn't rein his temper anymore.

"What is your problem, onna?" A lone flame flickered into life over one of the late 05 pilot's shoulders, only to be quickly canceled upon noticing the slight silvery gleam in aqua eyes. He wasn't the one to receive the answer, though. The pinkish-haired woman turned to the other female Shinigami instead.

"Now, Kuchiki-san, this one I believe would do good in the Academy. He's got some serious powers." She glanced sideways at the scowling 'one' in question. "I would like you to, no, I advise you to enroll to the Academy for Shinigami. To become Shinigami, if for nothing else, then so you might learn to control your reiki in order to protect those close to you. I you will follow me …" She begun to lead the way towards the building.

"And Maxwell?"

Haruki paused mid-turn. "Maxwell?"

Wufei scowled, attempting to hide his blush. "I will not take his name, reputation … much less his dreams away. In the World of Living, Ma … Duo was called Shinigami. Self-proclaimed as the title might be, he did earn it. I will not attend this Academy of yours without him." His blush deepened, the scowl following. "He _is_ family."

"Aaaaww …" All turned towards the source of the sound only to find two obviously sentimental teenagers – one blonde, one brunette – staring wide-eyed at their black-haired brother. "That was sooo sweet, Wufei …"

There was a second there when all Shinigami feared the flames would return, but the youth merely harrumphed and turned his head away, nose stuck high and scowling. Duo outright laughed at him before turning to the speechless secretary.

"Well, you heard the man, Haruki-san! 'Sides, didn't you already agree to test me?" the woman nodded and the braided menace turned his I-am-adorable-do-as-I-tell-you smile up full notch. "Would you please throw in a few minutes for Kitty-Quat over there as well?"

"DUO!"

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><p>A tall, shadowy figure watched with no little amusement as the lithe blonde scolded his merrily laughing brother, noting how all present Shinigami were obviously struggling to figure out just what to make of and with the obviously dysfunctional (but regardless working) family.<p>

Heh. Good luck with that one.

He watched the two boys being tested (simply having some 'reiatsu' thrown at them to see what happened, or so he figured) and accepted into the Academy by one rather surprised looking woman with 'funny' hair color (at whom the petite brunette woman and the braided baka both blew a raspberry or two once she wasn't looking their way). He waited until they disappeared into the building before turning away and heading towards the checkpoint he and the other had set up.

Time for the gathered information to be shared before they get down to some serious planning.

* * *

><p>The next few weeks were comparatively peaceful, but the excitement of his two brothers over the new world proved to be rather taxing on Wufei's nerves. If he wasn't assaulted by Winner, who insisted on sharing his every tiny discovery with his brothers, he was busy evading one or the other of Maxwell's pranks … unless Maxwell was occupied with trying to convince Winner of the 'absolute awesomeness' of the latest utterly strange thing with absolutely no interest to them he ran into. Usually by chatting Winner's ears off.<p>

He couldn't even remember the last time he had the space and time to meditate. Especially since _that_ onna …

Some six or so days prior the Idiot ran into someone on the street, quite literally, causing the person to drop everything and curse a blue streak even Maxwell would have been proud of. Said person just so happened to be an onna, and an one-armed one at that. Maxwell, ever the chivalrous one, insisted on helping her carry her things.

Wufei on the other hand saw the opportunity for some space and quiet and took it, vanishing without further ado. With Maxwell gone off playing knight and Winner apparently off to find Yuy and Barton, he set out to find an appropriate place in the woods for some meditation.

He really should have known better.

The woman turned out to be an expert of explosives, and Maxwell and her hit it off from there. The ex-pilot of DeathScythe became a frequent visitor, occasionally dragging one or both of his brothers with him. And while Wufei had to admit he learnt a great deal about this new world while in that strange house, his temper was tested in too many ways and times for his liking … not to mention his poor abused nerves. The tension between him and the Lady of the house could have been cut with a knife, especially since _that_ incident.

He didn't take attempts at mothering him well.

Fortunately Maxwell managed to blow something up before their argument came to the point of physical violence. He had the rather uncomfortable and even more embarrassing feeling he would have … had a hard time dealing with her.

Another unsettling being was the cat that seemed to be another frequent visitor of the house. A black cat with golden eyes which showed more intelligence than the species ought to have. For Nataku's sake, the blasted waste of space _smirked_ at him! A _cat_!

Then there was the matter of Winner's almost daily disappearances. At first, he thought the blonde might have found himself a, ehem, _friend_, but the secretiveness he snuck around with suggested something … bigger. And curiosity be damned, but he wanted to know!

Even if he _was_ probable to regret it at a later date.

But how to go about it? He couldn't very well just up and outright ask their angelic demon of a born bureaucrat, and, while he strongly suspected the braided American might be privy to the information, the idiot was even better at evasion … and he rubbed it in your face.

He shuddered upon remembering _that_ game of poker. Never again!

Memories set aside, what other options did he have? Interrogation was out of question, they knew each other too well not to notice (even though he was too obvious with or without being acquaintances, or so those two claimed), and he would not resort to torture. They _were_ family! Not to mention he would never be able to hurt those two big-eyed kitten-imitators … seriously.

He _could_, on the other hand, tail Winner. He might not be their best spy or infiltrator, but he was a Gundam pilot … not to mention Winner mostly depended on his Space Heart to detect trouble coming his way …

"Hey, Wu!"

… and he had no harmful intentions, not really …

"Ummm, Fei-Fei?"

… just a bit of curiosity, really …

"Oh Muffin ~"

"MAXWELL!" His hands automatically went to where the hilt of his sword used to be, even though he should have probably gotten used to its absence. He glared at the empty space with a growl born out of frustration.

"You know, 'Fei, I only use that one to get your attention." The damn brat had the cheek to grin and bat his long eyelashes at him with a mocking huff. "Why don't you ever listen to me …"

The dreamy-annoyed sigh that followed up made Wufei's eye twitch, but he merely forced a wry smirk. "I always knew there was something different about you, Miss Maxwell." Now _that_ made the Idiot stop and growl at him. Heh. That one never grew old. He raised one eyebrow. "Didn't you have something to talk to me about?"

He dodged the dagger flying across the space where his head had been and heard a muttered 'Asshole.', which only furthered his amusement. "So I had, But cha dun' really have tha' right attitude, Wuffers." He snorted. If it was important, he would tell him anyway, and if not, well, then he probably wouldn't want to know, anyway. "Hey, cut it! Geeze, I should probably just go an' tell 'Ro cha weren't interested in the …" The braided menace waggled his eyebrows. "The Plan."

Wufei begun to roll his eyes at the antics of the other and was just about to comment on them, too, as the words registered. Did the Idiot just …

"Yuy?" it came out somewhat choked, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "You managed to contract Yuy?" He narrowed his eyes upon noticing the sharp, amused smirk on the heart-shaped face … that, and that he just stated the obvious. "What about Barton?"

"Why don't you come find out for yourself, ne?" He turned and Wufei quickly extinguished the urge to make a grab for the chestnut rope the other had for hair. Again. "I should have brought you there some fifteen or so minutes ago, yanno. Oh, well, not like it was my fault or anything, ne, Wu-"

And he went on and on and … Wufei just really wanted to reach out for the braid and wrap it around that neck and-

"Wufei! What took you so long?"

The Chinese youth opted to ignore the mothering tone and nodded to the blonde. "Winner." His gaze shifted to the two darker figures behind the Arabian. "Barton. Yuy." He returned his attention to their 'angel'. "I might have been … displeased with Maxwell for interrupting my meditation. What plan was it he mentioned?" His eyes swept over the cleaning where they now were whilst speaking. He knew he needn't worry about security with Yuy present, but old habits die hard, especially ones that happened to save his life on more than one occasion. Not to mention they all, even Yuy were mere humans, despite what seemed to be popular belief. They _did_ die in that explosion, after all. Or after all they did, the injustice …

His eyes caught sight of a tea set, sitting innocently on a log. In the middle of a forest. What the-

"Ah, yes, the Plan. Would you care for some tea first?"

Winner. Of _course_. Trust Quatre Raberba Winner not to forget his manners, not even in the middle of nowhere, in an unknown environment, with unknown dangers and …

_All_ _right, Wufei, why don't we take a deep breath or two and calm down RIGHT NOW?_

"Tea. Of course, Winner." Tea in the middle of the woods of Soul Society. He shook his head mentally. What's next?

… come to think of it, he really didn't want to know.

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><p>"Would you like some honey to go with it?"<p>

Forest-green eyes met Prussian blue ones in amused exasperation as their 'little one' led them through the by now all-too-familiar ritual. Heh. Prior to meeting the blonde, the closest he ever came to tea was that sour herbal concoction the merchants forced down his throat he one time he dared to fall ill. He never risked a repeat performance of that one.

He tried to refuse the cup offered to him as politely as he could manage. He didn't care much for green tea, the sour liquid making him remember things he would rather not.

Noticing Duo hastily spill the stuff out to the roots of a nearby tree, he was inclined to believe he wasn't the only one with that particular dislike, either.

The two Asians on the other hand lit up upon sighting their respective cups. Must be genetic.

"Tro?" He looked over to see curious, analyzing violet eyes looking at him thoughtfully, and had to resist the sudden urge to flee. "How do you manage to say 'no' to Q-beans?" And he tilted that heart-shaped face slightly to the one side to add to the effect, the resulting picture being … cute. Cute enough for Trowa to wish he had a cup he could transfer his attention to. He didn't do well with cute.

"…"

"Aw, come on, man, spill it!" The former street-rat's expression became one of annoyance and begging. Cute. "It was a pain in my ass to learn 'hn'-ish, I don't wanna go for 'dot-dot-dot' speech too! And I _know_ you have a perfectly functional voice box!"

That earned the braided American a Death Glare, courtesy of Heero Yuy, which he ignored, and a flat Look from Trowa, also ignored. And his precious answer, sort of. "Childhood trauma."

"Huh?" The violet eyes widened almost comically, making him chuckle. The American openly gaped at him.

"Barton?" He turned his head to find it wasn't only the 'Baka' gaping. Uncomfortable with all the attention he received, he decided an evasive operation was in order.

"Chang." He looked at Quatre, who was … was it even possible to maintain one's politeness while smirking, rather smugly he might add? Or was it just Quatre Winner? "The plans?" He reminded the petite blonde, and let him handle the rest.

"Ah, yes … Shall we move on to The Plan, then? Some more tea?" He managed to contain his mirth as the still gob smacked Duo Maxwell accepted and drank some of the sour green tea, choking on it and cursing in between sputters. The others pointedly ignored him. "Firstly, I must apologize for not involving you into the planning process, Wufei. I thought a fresh mind might be able to point out the flaws we overlooked. Please excuse me for that." Wufei graciously nodded, indicating his understanding and forgiveness. The blonde Arabian beamed at him, ignoring Duo's dramatic eye-rolling. "The Plan, then, is as following, listen …" And their angelic tactician set out to explain their plans in detail. _Minute_ detail. Trowa had to suppress a sigh. Between Wufei's justice-rants and Quatre's explanations (and mothering), he would be hard pressed to pick the worse.

At least Duo's constant chatter was easily tuned out, not to mention quite the potent comical relief, should one choose to listen for a while.

And Quatre's monologues were necessary – not quite in the length he gave them, mind you, but a necessity nevertheless. For him it would take five sentences to explain this Plan of theirs.

Every one of them is to attend to the Academy, Yuy and him in deep undercover. All information that would endanger them or is deemed redundant for their surrounding to be known is to be withheld, but all information shall be gathered and shared, no matter how insignificant (within boundaries of common sense and ethic). The true extent of their abilities are not to be given away, but they might reveal the true nature of their relationship (i.e. Yuy and himself rejoin the family) or pretend to drift apart (the 'three' brothers), depending on the situation. All meetings upon attending to the Academy will be organized secretively and suiting their needs, excluding emergencies. The actual behavior towards others is at their own individual discretion, the personas from the wars are encouraged though.

The blonde, on the other hand, was still at it.

"Tro!" He looked at the American, surprised at the whisper. Then again, anything louder might interrupt their 'angel', which was … not the clever thing to do. He raised an eyebrow in question, the violet-eyed boy answering by pointing at … 6 horizontal lines on the ground in front of them. What?

A twig appeared in front of him, pointing out a previous game of hangman. Trowa threw a glance at the sulking Heero Yuy. Apparently the Perfect Soldier didn't take well being figuratively hung over a word like 'ulcer'.

He looked back at the smirking Duo Maxwell, who waggled his eyebrows at him. He answered with a quirk of his lips, drawing an 'A' in the dirt.

The game was on.


	4. Aims and Strays

Author's Notes:

I'm trying to reply to reviews via PM, but I had gotten lazy… then busy, graduation is a bitch (I know, I know, university is worse, yea, yeah, getting there, all right?). So for those who didn't get their answers just yet: I'M A LAZY BITCH AND SORRY FOR BEING ONE!

lilbit1016- Thank you, I try doing better… well, getting there. And there is a chapter for you :D

Axcel- Thanks, and keep coming back, I need my ego-burst XD I hope I'll manage to continue getting the POVs right, if not – give me a kick. If yes – see the last line (below the story).

Have a good time reading!

Oh, and an announcement: I am now the proud owner of two (2!) advanced level language exams, one German and one English! Dunno how, but, hey! *opens champagne* I did it! *does victory-dance* HELL YEAH!

* * *

><p><em><strong>The way of warriors<strong>_  
><em><span>Chapter 3<span>_ _– Aims and Strays_

Smiling aqua eyes watched with interest as a uniform-clad male with messy chocolate-brown hair made his way across the school grounds. The other carried himself with quiet confidence that added to his appealing physique, yet the icy aura he seemed to unconsciously emit discouraged everyone from daring to approach him… Everyone but a certain braided, suicidal idiot, whom by then the entire Academy knew (or knew of) as 'The Baka', that is. Hardly a surprise.

Duo Maxwell really, truly needed to learn some and then some _more_ caution, according to general opinion. Because really, who in their right mind angered the Ice Prince _and_ the Fire Prince of the Academy on _the very same day, REPEATEDLY?_

Quatre knew better.

Heero and Wufei might be dangerous (and wasn't that an understatement), but Duo was cautious enough not to anger them beyond a limit. A limit where he could still escape with little to no damage to his eccentric self. Not to mention his violet-eyed brother was dangerous on his own right (ooh, another understatement), and Quatre even had this fleeting suspicion about the times he 'ran for his life' being Duo's way keeping himself in shape…

A movement to his left caught the blonde Shinigami-in-training's eyes. Oh. Speak of the devil. He silently witnessed yet another encounter of his brothers now known to the public as 'The Baka' and the 'Ice Prince', knowing Duo was delivering his message about their meeting to Heero, but not seeing how. To him (and the rest of the onlookers) it was just like any other time such things happened. Duo came, annoyed, dodged blows and reiki, and finally fle-

An enraged roar of 'MAXWELL!' and an 'Eeep!' later one panicked looking Duo Maxwell made a hurried retreat with one furious Chang Wufei (aka. 'Fire Prince') hot on his heels, a slightly scowling but otherwise indifferent Heero Yuy (aka. 'Ice Prince') following.

The aqua-eyed 'boy' wondered what his longhaired brother did this time and how he planned on surviving it… then again, it wouldn't be the first time, either. The only real difference was Duo would have to escape reiki instead of the usual bullets and Chinese longsword he previously had to avoid.

Shaking his head, he turned just in time to see several students he recognized as senior years leave the school grounds in what he would call 'barely controllable haste'. It wasn't the first time _that_ happened, either.

A frustrated growl escaped pale lips as the angelic Arabian recalled the 'explanation' they got, shocking a passing-by teacher into immobility. Quatre gave him a sweet smile that clearly stated it must have been something the Shinigami's own overactive, paranoid imagination came up with, while inwardly seething.

'Curious Hollow activity', which they 'don't need to worry about', his _ass_!

* * *

><p>He checked one last time whether anyone followed him, more out of habit than anything. The result came up negative, as predicted, and he felt a small amount of smugness, despite the fact that not being followed was normal, especially since being there.<p>

Pushing the feeling and his urge to sigh aside, Heero Yuy slipped into the abandoned classroom in the eastern corner of the building, only to find himself surrounded by golden-red flames and silent green mist. Both were blown away by icy winds, leaving him glaring at his two stoic brothers, expertly ignoring the waving _Baka_ in the background.

"Winner?" He tuned out the onslaught of words 'Duo' offered as explanation, focusing on Chang instead.

"Distracting roommates." The raven haired teen threw a piercing look the American's way. "Should arrive soon."

"Hn." He felt the curious gaze of green eyes on him, and closed his own Prussian blue ones, opting to forget his reason for being late.

Females (and occasionally males) and their love-letters. To quote Maxwell, 'bleh'. At least none of them had displayed Relena Darlian's stalking tendencies.

They settled down for the wait, Maxwell and Chang silently bickering over something or the other, and he had once again had to restrain himself from asking whether they were an item. It was of no interest to him… and perhaps asking Winner instead of them would be safer. The blonde was socially aware enough to know, and wouldn't laugh at him for his lack in knowledge. At least not outright.

Ice, fire and mist came to life as the door opened and closed once again, only to retreat upon sensing the void Zero was creating. Loud laughter rang out at the sight the three normally stoic ex-terrorists presented, trying to look innocent in front of a silvery-eyed Quatre Raberba Winner, only to turn into a yelp as the Baka had to duck some flames and icicles. Damn. That makes 357 misses.

"Winner."

"Heero. Trowa. Wufei." Their annoyed 'little angel' briefly nodded to each, then smiled widely at Maxwell's loud exclamation of 'Hiya, Quat!', former mishaps forgiven and forgotten. "Hi, Duo! Did you have to wait for long?"

"Naw, 'Ro just got 'ere a few minutes or so ago himself." Heero almost voiced his protest, his inner clock informing him it had been accurately 23 minutes and 41 seconds between him and Winner entering the room, but thought better of it. In spite of what general opinion stated, he did not enjoy being injured or hurt in any way. "So do we get this show on the road, or what?"

Some 30-odd seconds later the five of them were seated, their collective eyesight covering the entire room with special attention being paid to all possible exits.

Winner and Maxwell went first, reporting their findings about one of the bigger headaches they encountered, the hollows. Well, what they didn't cover in their classes already. Fighting them was apparently the purpose of Shinigami and the reason the Gotei 13 was founded. They now also knew of Huenco Mundo, and the current betrayal of Sosuke Aizen and two other Shinigami of Captain-rank. The intensity of hollow activity seemed to grow rapidly the past few months, hence the more capable and knowledgeable senior-years were regularly ordered to join the patrols.

Some never returned.

Maxwell finished his report with a morsel he caught while semi-accidentally bumping into a group of freshly returned sempais. Apparently the 4th Squad was the medic division of the Gotei… and everyone's servants.

Of course Maxwell and Chang had to stop there for another round of bickering back and forth, this time involving medical accidents, handymen and, somewhat disturbingly, maid-outfits.

Note to self: Ask Winner. Soon.

Heero grabbed Maxwell's braid to keep him away from Chang's throat, throwing a Death GlareTM at the all too smugly looking Chinaman. That shut them both up. "Got anything worthwhile to say?" Sarcasm was something he picked up from his brothers not too long ago, and got better at with each attempt he made. It worked well this time. Also, he tried and managed to maintain the intimidating glare (another thing he was a natural at) while struggling to keep their personal God of Death restrained. The Baka had yet to cease wriggling around, trying to get free, so Heero crushed the smaller boy to his chest, arms going around the other, effectively pinning the American in place. "Behave."

Content with the violet-eyed one going still, he turned his attention back to his ebony-haired brother, frowning at the wide eyed, onyx-black stare he received, deciding to ignore Barton's half-amused, half-annoyed Look and Winner's… blush? Whatever.

"Chang." Slanted eyes blinked slowly, their owner coming out of his stupor. "Report."

"Ah, of… Of course, Yuy." The other Oriental of the group took a minute to regain his composure and slip back into his professional persona. "Barton and I have searched the library and the Headmaster's office for information." Heero guessed it was rather Barton snuck into said office while Chang happily buried himself beneath mountains of books. "What we found was somewhat vague, but we now know the basics of the inner workings of the organization known as the Gotei 13 of Seireitei. Some of the thirteen Squads have specified functions, but the structure is similar in each of them. All divisions have a Captain, or taicho if you will, and a Lieutenant or fukotaicho, their second-in-command. Also, all Squads have twenty seated officers, starting with the Captain as first. The taicho of the 1st Squad, Yamamoto Genryusaki Shigekuni is the founder of the organization as well as its Captain-Commander or sotaicho. The exact numbers of the Gotei are unknown to us." The ex-pilot of Nataku bowed his head slightly, indicating he was done with his part of the report.

"Barton?"

The ex-terrorists transferred their attention to the green-eyed one in their midst who, Heero noticed with amusement, seemed to be highly uncomfortable with the arrangement and sent Chang a sneaky (but lethal) Glare. The Dragon didn't seem to notice. He let his amusement show on his face, earning himself a slightly less subtle (but no less potent) Glare.

"…" Barton glared at their Chinese brother some more before giving in with a sigh. Heero secretly admitted to himself that he much preferred the shorter, straight-to-the-point reports of 'Trowa' to the speeches 'Quatre' tended to give.

But he would never admit that out loud, not even under torture. There were things worse than Zero the little Arabian could do to him.

Barton's brief report gave them much information, such as the names of the Captains and Lieutenants. They were Yamamoto Genryusaki Shigekuni and Chojiro Sasakibe, Soifon and Omaeda Marechiyo (son of one of the wealthiest families of Seireitei), Ichimaru Gin (traitor, hence his position was, in fact, vacated) and Kira Izuru, Retsu Unohana and Kotetsu Isane, Sosuke Aizen (traitor) and Hinamori Momo (currently paralyzed), Kuchiki Byakuya (Head of a noble family and brother to the female Shinigami who dragged 'Duo' to the Academy) and Abarai Renji (the other Shinigami who found Maxwell), Komamura Sajin and Iba Tetsuzaemon, Kyroraku Shunsui and Ise Nanao, Tosen Kaname (blind traitor) and Hisagi Shuhei, Hitsugaya Toshiro (prodigy and youngest of the current Captains) and Matsumoto Rangiku (gossip queen of Seireitei), Zaraki Kenpachi (most violent of the taichos and the only one to not know his Zanpakuto's name, let alone have a Bankai) and Kusajishi Yachiru (his surprisingly young adopted daughter), Kurotsuchi Mayumi (a 'freak'?) and Kurotsuchi Nemu (his daughter who was born of a test-tube – one could almost physically feel the sympathy Winner radiated), and Ukitake Jushiro (permanently ill), whose Lieutenant passed away several decades ago. The seat was since then unoccupied.

They were also fed information about the mentality and special duties of the Squads. Once again, Winners emotions became substantial upon hearing of the rather pathetic situation of the permanently bullied 4th Squad. Heero deliberately and pointedly didn't look in the blonde's direction. He knew of his weakness whenever it came to the _Look_ Winner always used to get his way (it offered a small amount of comfort to know the rest of the world was just as helpless when it came to IT, save perhaps Barton), and he refused to become involved with yet another one of the Arabian's 'pity-projects'. He still hadn't forgotten the 'Stray Wolf Incident', name courtesy of the Baka.

All in all, the meeting went satisfactory. It answered some of the ones the previous on couldn't, and caused only a few newer ones, one of which involved their future. It was ,for obvious reasons, left to Winner. It was something the blonde angel could think about… and worry about, and stress about, and obsess about…

Heero felt the sudden urge to thank whichever Kami was willing to listen for being no roommate of Quatre Raberba Winner.

* * *

><p>Duo Maxwell was no happy camper that afternoon. Not only did the local gossips of the Academy notice he spent a remarkably large part of the afternoon in an abandoned classroom with two other males (they didn't notice Hee-chan and Tro, thank whoever-is-there for small miracles), he was also the one to share a room with a certain blonde Arabian.<p>

He wondered if he could get out by pretending being sick. Very, very sick. Or perhaps insane, he wouldn't even have to pretend that one.

The encounter with Gossip1 (the 'Queen') and Gossips 2 to 7 went relatively smooth. They knew the three of them were brothers, and that he tended to annoy Wu until he got a _real_ reaction, and then some. They also knew Fei's usual reaction was chasing him around the place with promises of maiming and premature death.

So, when Q-beans smiled and announced he had spoken with his brothers and got them to make up, they seemed to believe it. He remembered relaxing, thinking they were safe… until the turned towards him for affirmation. There were downsides to never lying and being known for it. But he managed, of course, grinning and rolling his eyes, telling the gossips in his best 'I-am-reciting-something-old-and-boring' voice that yes, Quatre has spoken with them and yes, they were forced to make up.

It earned him giggles and an elbow in his side.

And one very potent ebony glare after they were left alone, the Chinaman calling him out on hi 'lie'. He did his part of glaring as he explained to the bastard with the stick-up-his-ass why it was, in fact, the truth. Quatre did, after all, speak with them. And God only knows how many times they were forced by the angelic little devil to make up. The subsidiary modality that it had happened quite some time ago was unimportant.

As comprehension slowly dawned on the golden face Duo sadly accepted the fact that he would most likely not be able to get anything like that past this Dragon ever again.

Well, not using that particular method, at least.

He was rudely startled out of his thoughts by a loud crash coming from the bathroom, where his blondest brother was currently muttering what sounded to be some rather interesting curses in Arabic. He once again decided to somehow learn the language.

He winced at the sound of a fist banging into a hard surface, and made a mental note to somehow get a violin. A great one. Music was supposed to be a good stress-relief, and 'Allah' but Quatre needed one…

The door suddenly slammed open and startled violet eyes met murderous aqua ones.

"Thief or pyromaniac?"

Duo stared at his brother, not sure if he understood it right but the silvery gleam in those eyes convinced him it wasn't important.

"Um, p-pyro…" The door closed with unnecessary force. "What was _that_ about?"

He heard the muttering on the other side of the door continue and threw himself back on his bed with a pained groan.

No, Duo Maxwell was no happy camper at all.

* * *

><p>The youngest of the dorm room awoke. It was dark, somewhere just after midnight. He sent out his senses, but nothing dangerous that could have possibly alerted him was detected. Re-checking, he dismissed it as something that could wait 'till morning to be investigated, and begun to relax back into light sleep.<p>

That was when he heard the giggling.

Wide awake, he turned his head towards the other bed in his room, and sure enough, he could clearly make out the forms of its two occupants, thankfully decent. Seemed like his sempai once again decided a new roommate was no reason not to have his girlfriend over, nevermind said roommate wanted to sleep.

Trowa weighted his options. He supposed he _could_ try to ignore them and go back to sleep, but he would soon awakened again as he could not afford risking deep sleep without his fellow pilots… right, without his _brothers_ around. He took a moment to inwardly sigh at his own inability to see his family as such… or acknowledge seeing it as such. No offense to his previous comrades, but mercenaries were _so_ not suited for the upbringing of kinds…

His second option would be to slip out of the room undetected. It wouldn't pose a problem to him and would give both parties what they needed- privacy for the couple and some space and quiet for him.

Only he felt irritated and the third option would make him feel so much better…

He heard a whispered 'I love you, cupcake.' and decided not to stay around any longer. He was out the door and on his way to the gardens before the answering 'Always, sugarmouse.' was voiced. He also made a mental note to consult Max-… _Duo _about possible pranks he could play on his hormone-crazed (or emotionally labile) roommate. It might even be a good bonding experience with his (most) eccentric brother.

Mentally he patted himself on the back for using the right word without having to correct himself first. See, he _could_ learn new tricks.

Arriving to the gardens, Trowa made a beeline for the willows. He wasn't particularly fond of them (they _did_ have a feel to them, though), but they provided the perfect cover for nighttime wanderers who didn't want to be seen, and some of the thicker branches were ideal for naps.

He paused in his advancing as he heard a warning growl coming from the direction from his favorite 'napping-tree'. He immediately shifted his personality around into the one he used around wild and/or frightened animals (and occasionally Duo). The growl turned into a whimper asking for help and protection. Slowly walking over and picking up the pup (almost adult), he thought about the irony of the animals he encountered earning more of his trust than any human being before his new family. Taking the dog to the infirmary, he decided it didn't matter anymore. The remainder of his night and some of the morning was spent taking care of the injured pup, earning the friendship and loyalty of the canine, unknowingly helping his future career along.

The next afternoon found him defending his temporary companion as his sempai freaked when, upon returning to the room, he found a relatively large dog sitting at the foot of Trowa's bed. The acrobat just stood and stayed silent for most of the time, save the few softly spoken words (most of which held a deadly dose of sarcasm) while his elder roommate raged and ranted. And kicked stuff around.

Patience finally wearing thin, Trowa silenced the other with a knife flying across the room, missing the elder male's face by less than an inch. He got silence and a terrified look, which he answered with a Glare even Heero would have acknowledged.

"You bring in your girlfriend, I bring in my dog. You have a secret, you stay silent and out of my way." He watched with satisfaction as the other paled, signaling his meaning was understood. They both knew pets were, if not outright allowed but tolerated or at least ignored. Relationships were, on the other hand, strictly forbidden, and having someone of the opposite gender in one's dorm, especially in one's bed… now that was a sure way to get one's ass kicked out of the Academy. "Don't be a bother, and I'll leave you and your little lover alone."

Needless to say, Trowa never had any trouble with his roommate again. The man heeded the warning even after Garou was taken away by his true owner.

* * *

><p>The next meeting was brief, and even though Quatre was glad it turned out that way, his brothers accepting his decisions without protest, it also meant he hadn't got the time to speak with Trowa. The ex-clown seemed to be down these days, and he couldn't be seen approaching the other. As far as public knew, they only knew eachother from sight.<p>

If they only knew he had recently made important decisions based on ability and personality in the stead of his four brothers (and himself), including Trowa…

He still wasn't sure if he got them right.

It had already been decided they needed to be present in Squads 1, 2, 4, 9 and 12, so that was what he had been working with. Based on his knowledge of the mentality of each division, combined with his brothers' personality and capabilities, he 'placed' Heero in the 1st Squad, as his sense of duty and righteousness, together with his abilities as their leader made him the most suited for the job by his books. Duo got the 12th Squad as his objective, which would make good use of his quick and inventive mind (not to mention the whole division was rumored to be somewhat eccentric), while Trowa's goal became joining with the Stealth Force's allied division, the 2nd Squad, for obvious reasons. Wufei he 'sent' to the 9th Squad, where he could let his repressed interests as a scholar resurface, the division being responsible for the art and culture of Seireitei, including the Seireitei News Magazine. As Special Force, they would also befit the warrior of the Dragon clan.

He, himself would join the 4th Squad. He had already showed promising abilities at Kido in class, and his pride as pacifist would not be damaged. Besides, learning how to heal his comrades sounded to be perfect, especially considering how much damage he had done in their previous life. He would also see what could be done about the constant bullying the 11th Squad put the members of his future division through… preferably without getting Zero involved. He had already accepted the program that became his alternate personality, and it seemed to have… sort of adopted him, but…

Lately, Zero has become more active, its presence constantly felt by him, lurking at the edges of his consciousness, waiting to be acknowledged… and it wasn't happy with him. Even less so with his decision. That troubled the blonde greatly… but now Zero seemed to have calmed down during the meeting (actually, he could almost swear it was sulking, as insane as it sounded), and he hoped it meant everything would turn out all right.

He remembered the way he has been behaving in the privacy of his and Duo's room the past few days, and winced. Hopefully he would also be able to calm down with Zero, what he had going on was not fair to the American. And yet the brunette had given him such a thoughtful present, he had missed his violin greatly, and his brother somehow noticed and replaced it.

The wonders his gift had done to his stress-levels…

"What's yer friggin' problem, assholes?"

Quatre almost fell over at the shout. Speak of the devil… but what's he screaming about? It better be good if he had already acted so out of his public character.

Hurrying over, he saw his alarmingly purplish-eyed brother standing protectively between some elder looking students and a redhaired girl in the uniform of the Academy, curled up in fetal position on the ground. The bullies and the American were having a yelling match, Duo successfully holding his own against the other six, but the blonde could clearly see the signs of things soon becoming violent. He steeled himself mentally. It was time to step in, and he could not lose control of Zero… as much as he wanted to.

"Is there a problem, _gentlemen_?" All eyes turned to his politely, albeit coldly smiling self. Duo visibly relaxed for a second before catching himself and gathering his annoyance and anger back together. The bullies just looked… mad.

"Go away, Q. I've got everything under control." The Arabian sent a glare towards the self-proclaimed (and future) Shinigami, but was ignored as the darkened eyes looked over to the girl instead, thinking. "But perhaps you could take her with you?"

Quatre grit his teeth.

"Oh, I will. _After __**we**__ cleared things there_." He turned to the bullies and encountered some angry leers and smirks.

"This your boyfriend, little girlie? Whipped, ain't you?" Quatre felt his grip on Zero slip as he had to bite down on his first response – a knee to the bastard's groin. He _really_ needed some quality time with his new violin.

"I am his brother, _Mister_. And I am sure there is a reasonable explanation for this." He wagged his head slightly, 'turning on' what Duo once called his 'Fatal Adorability'. He didn't risk Zero a second time over it. The bullies' faces took on a rather dumb, disbelieving look. His Space Heart already told him the hatred and hostility they held towards the girl mostly served to cover their own insecurities and fear (of each other, actually – how foolish is _that_?), and decided a firm kick and a few reminders could straighten them… well, that might not be the most accurate choice of words in some cases…

"Damn flamehead just wouldn't stay in line with her blazing head down like she should." _That one_, however. That one was filled to the brim with hatred and enjoyment of the pain and sorrow he caused. The blonde swore to see him kicked out of the Academy in disgrace and humiliation… if the bastard was lucky. If not, and he had to see him around for longer than he would suffer, well – he was a capable enough assassin. And accidents were known for happening. "Thinks too much of herself, don't you, bitch? Fuckin' fag-hag…"

That settled it for Quatre.

"Oh?" Most couldn't know, couldn't truly see as the void of Zero swallowed the light and heat of the area surrounding the petite Arabian with the cutting silvery-blue eyes. He saw Duo's eyes widen from the corner of his eye, and a manic grin settle on the heart-shaped face. "So you are the one to decide one's worth around there, are you?" The moron dared to give him a smug smirk despite his rapidly paling face. "So foolish…"

"Listen, ya basterd." The pale man just about jumped out of his skin as a surprisingly strong arm was thrown over his shoulder. Turning his head towards the offender to yell of their head, whoever it was who dared to take such liberties with him, the idiot found himself looking into the purple eyes of Death. His minions have wisely fled, and Quatre could clearly hear the pathetic whimper that escaped the intimidated bully in answer to the intensity of those eyes. "Yer from da slums, aincha?" The blonde had no idea how Duo knew or guessed, but their bully-turned-victim gave a nod of affirmative. "Well, yer waaaaaay outta yer league 'ere, _rat_. I'll give yer some advice: get the fuck back to where you came from, 'cause if I see you around…" He trailed off, threat clear to all. The bastard turned terrified, pleading eyes the Arabian's way, but the smile, cold as space killed all hope he might have had left.

"He never lies, you know." He gave the pale, shaking man a pointed Look. "Shoo." And the man did. Running as fast as he could, falling over several times, the moron who challenged Death and Zero fled with his life, never to be seen again.

"Really, Kitten, 'Shoo'?"

"Be quiet… Baka."

The temperature slowly returned to normal as light found its way back to the place the two ex-soldiers stood over the unconscious figure of the red haired girl. She was quite tall, almost the height of Trowa actually, but skinny. Way too skinny.

Sad aqua eyes met worried violet ones.

"Let's get her to the nurse."

Quatre merely bent down and gently lifted the too light form of their fellow student up, transferring her to the arms of his brother.

"You were the one to stand up for her in the first place. Besides" He cut off the forming protests with a nod towards their audience, deciding not to mention the protective way the braided boy held his bundle. "you know there is no way to explain this away without lying. Go, I'll catch up."

He sighed after Duo's retreating form, putting his most neutrally polite smile firmly in place. The things he did for family…

* * *

><p>Duo couldn't find the nurse and didn't want to leave the girl who reminded him just a tad too closely of his fellow street kids, skinny, dirty little boys and girls the lot of them, an dead, because of hi-<p>

He shook his head, refusing to go down that path. Nothing down there but depression, and he had had enough of that to last several lifetimes, thank-you-very-much.

At least he could save this one.

Quick, skillful hands gently applied salves and tied bandages expertly where they were needed, stitching up one nasty-looking cut on a pale shoulder. Some disinfectant and a second check-over later Duo decided he had done everything he could for the time being.

Pulling a chair over, he settled down for the wait.

Several minutes (and a few failed attempts at an afternoon-nap) later the door opened and closed, signaling a new arrival… probably the wayward medic. The American got up to inform the nurse of her (or his – come to think of it, he had never seen the nurse) newest patient and give her (or him) a good portion of his mind.

He froze instead as his eyes met slanted black ones in shared strickenness. Or whatever, but he knew those eyes!

"WU?"

* * *

><p>To be continued<p>

FEED THE AUTHOR SOME COOKIES!


End file.
